NCAA Soccer

There will be few guarantees when the UCSD women’s soccer team plays Grand Valley State on Thursday in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Championship, but there is this: It won’t be snowing.

The forecast for the game in Evans, Ga., is 65 degrees and sunny.

Two years ago, the Tritons and Grand Valley played in the championship final in Louisville, Ky., and it was 20 degrees with snow flurries. The start of the game was delayed by an hour because crews had to scrape an inch of snow and ice off the artificial turf.

They were not the best of conditions for a team from Southern California facing a highly regarded squad from Michigan. The Lakers dominated in winning 4-0, though the Tritons never used the weather as an excuse.

“We played the way we could play, and we fell short,” longtime coach Brian McManus judged.

Still, UCSD figures to like its chances much better this time around playing in sunshine on natural turf, though the Lakers remain formidable. Third-ranked Grand Valley (20-1-3) is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Final Four and it won national titles in 2009 and ’10. The Lakers were beaten in the final last year by Saint Rose.

The fifth-ranked Tritons (16-2-4), with a handful of senior starters, have had a wild season in which they’ve played 10 overtime games. UCSD seized the CCAA title game in penalty kicks against Sonoma State; it needed extra time in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament; and it had to prevail again in PKs against Colorado Mines in the quarterfinals.

“It’s not our favorite thing in the world,” sophomore forward Cassie Callahan said of all of the extra work. “But this team is super motivated at the end of the game.

“We’re definitely confident going into this game, but at the same time we’re not cocky. We know everybody is going to be really good at this level, but we’re confident in our ability to play as a team. We’re ready for it. We think we’re going to win and take it all.”

Callahan, 19, is a former CIF Player of the Year at Coronado High who has been critical to UCSD’s success. The 5-feet-6 attacking midfielder, who played much of her club soccer with the San Diego Surf, has scored nine goals and contributed seven assists to notch a team-high 25 points.

“Her work rate and her energy in the midfield have been really big for us,” McManus said.

Callahan is among a number of Tritons who had opportunities to play at the Division I level, but opted for UCSD because of its soccer success rate and academics. A mathematics major who is considering being a teacher, Callahan has the team’s highest GPA at 3.9. She seriously looked at playing at the University of Washington, but a promised scholarship didn’t materialize.

After that, she focused on the Tritons and hasn’t looked back.

“I’m really happy with my decision,” she said. “I love this group of girls.”

Callahan is as tough as she is cerebral. In the waning moments of overtime in the quarterfinal win over Colorado Mines, she leaped for a high ball and smashed heads with an opponent. The collision opened up a gash over Callahan’s left eye.

“There was blood all over the field. It was pretty bad,” Callahan said.

The wound would require 30 stitches when the team got home, but Callahan asked the trainer to stop treating her so she could watch her teammates win in penalty kicks.

McManus, who this season became the winningest coach in Division II women’s soccer history, said he’s “very confident” in his team. Three seniors – defenders Hayley Johnson and Ellen Wilson, and midfielder Jessica – made the All-West Region first team, while second-team senior forward Gabi Hernandez (nine goals) scored in four straight matches to open the postseason. Meantime, the goalie, Kelcie Brodsky, is a true freshman who led the league in goals-against average (0.56).

In his 26th season as UCSD’s coach, McManus has led the Tritons to seven national titles, including two in Division II, in 2000 and 2001.

“This is a big occasion for us,” McManus said. “It’s as big as it can get.”